Building a business case for enterprise imaging

You understand that achieving true patient-centered care and improving outcomes requires that all clinical stakeholders have timely access to more imaging content across care settings. For organizations like yours to thrive, you need visibility into the breadth of medical images contained in picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) and other specialty legacy archives that store non-DICOM medical images and video.

3 ways to demonstrate enterprise imaging success

Here are three key proof points you’ll need to present in order to demonstrate the benefits and secure the approved budget that is necessary for an enterprise imaging initiative:

1. Improves clinicaloutcomes

With shrinking margins and reimbursement dollars on the line, leaders need to know that your idea will improve the hospital’s ability to care for patients. You’ll want to explain how enterprise imaging enables more informed clinical decision-making by allowing your healthcare organization to connect, manage and view medical images both at the clinical point of care and within departments such as radiology, cardiology, ultrasound, surgery and more.

Consolidating imaging information throughout the enterprise into a single, standards-based repository can significantly improve patient outcomes by providing a holistic view of patient records, helping reduce potential readmissions and discharge delays, and streamlining workflows for better point-of-care interactions. In addition, online collaboration, including the ability to analyze and share measurements and notes, helps radiologists and other specialists communicate and work more effectively with referring physicians.

2. Enhances security andcompliance

With constant reporting on the rise in cyberattacks – and hackers that are increasingly targeting healthcare – privacy and cybersecurity are issues you need to address at the board level.

Moreover, among the top 10 breaches, the vast majority – nearly 90 percent – were due to hacking. Breaches not only damage an organization’s reputation, but with the average cost per lost or stolen record placed at $363, they can also have significant financial impacts. This is certainly not less in 2017, and we should anticipate more of the same.

You will want to explain to your board that an enterprise medical imaging solution that is truly vendor neutral and standards-based – and adheres to DICOM and HL7 as well as IHE and XDS framework – ensures data security and HIPAA compliance by getting images off hard drives, disks and USB drives. Further, it establishes centralized control of imaging data, making it easier for IT to manage and secure information, apply security protocols to all images and protect PHI from unwanted exposure.

3. Optimizesnewbusinessarrangements

As the hospital consolidation market continues to grow, and boards of directors evaluate new opportunities, they need to know how imaging technology can help them successfully integrate data and systems so they can capitalize on their investments.

With an enterprise imaging strategy in place, organizations have better insight into how to more effectively monitor utilization of services over time and plan service line expansion or retraction.

You can prove value to your board by demonstrating that such an approach supports and optimizes new business arrangements by:

Making valuable clinical imaging content available to providers at the right time and in the right way to deliver positive outcomes for patients

Consolidating and economizing storage so new hospitals and partners can easily integrate into existing networks and gain access to systems

Bringing vital and comprehensive patient information to the care team by aggregating and integrating studies directly into the patient’s record in the EHR

Supporting the divestiture of a facility from the hospital organization through true ownership of the images

Armed with a solid business case, your board will better understand and justify how an investment in enterprise medical imaging can help your organization grow and thrive. You’ll be empowered to meet the immediate demands of the enterprise as well as new value-based care models and future business partnerships.